Edwin Arlington Robinson and Edgar Lee Masters had disparate lifestyles: Robinson was born to wealthy merchant and Masters to a financially struggling family. Robinson wrote professionally while Masters became a lawyer and wrote as a hobby. Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” significantly contrasts with Masters’s poem “Lucinda Matlock” in various aspects on how each character views life. “Richard Cory” a poem about a noble man that under-appreciates life and goes as far as committing suicide. The narrator talks about how grabby he is of Richard Cory just at the very end does he mention the detail that he is a troubled man. This poem is a representation of the front that some people stage up to hid their inner selves receivable to embarrassment and shame or many other feelings of despair. Richard Cory teaches its audience that one’s happiness in life cannot be determined by wealth because wealth does not inevitably bring happiness, rather than enjoying life with loved ones, Cory, regardless of his wealth, is living a false life that conceals his depression and loneliness. The audience must learn that wealth and luxuries do not guarantee happiness. …show more content…
Lucinda Matlock” is a story of a woman, who, by just about any standards, would take hold of life we call mediocre and makes it her own. However, the narrator of the poem says that she lives a long and fulfilling life that can only be sincerely appreciated if the audience accepts their lives. Matlock offers insight into the true meaning of life and how to be happy: be content with life, including the negative moments, because, with the ups and downs of life, one will come to appreciate and relish every moment of life spent with loved